I spent the last month in slums of the Philippines, and my life is forever changed!!
Below is a blow my teammate Christin Lyle wrote….
"I turned under the bridge as Pastor directed me through the corridor. He explained the child inside the alcove didn’t have a hole to relieve himself but instead excretes through his side. I stepped in the crap infested mush, up a cardboard stair and crawled on my hands through the door onto the threshold. I stared in disbelief. We couldn’t stand up, though I wouldn’t have dared for fear the unbalanced weight would plummet us into the river below. I smiled tentatively at the young mother holding her son, Justin. I felt my heart break a little. I situated myself and saw a little girl. She looked up with eyes that matched my own and I looked at her arm. I saw the rope and realized she was leashed to a pole.
As my newest teammate, Jake, began praying and literally moving mountains in the spiritual realm, I was overcome with emotion. Silent, gut wrenching sobs coursed through me as the gravity of their situation dawned. I couldn’t form prayers except for God to bless her destiny. I stroked her back, her head, her arms. I wanted to stick an IV of love into her veins and send it straight to her heart. I desperately wanted her to know she was loved. When we left I was exhausted yet alive. Broken, yet an undeniable healing was coursing through me.
The children hang on me like they’ve never seen a white girl before. They constantly caress my hands, count my knuckles… They obviously missed the community wide senior citizens jazzercise we did this morning…But honestly, they just want to be loved. They want physical touch. They yearn to be held. All I want to do is play with them. I’ve spent the last few months being a silent observer, watching my teammates be ransacked by kids and I’ve held them at arms length. But seeing poverty of this magnitude and watching the filth that is engrained in these children and knowing there’s not a thing I can do about it makes me feel helpless. My mind raced as we walked around Tondo and the mini sermon Pastor shared this morning at 4am rang back into my mind.
I’m alive, fighting and ready to live this dream. These kids are bringing breath to dry bones. They are igniting life into a heart that was so sick of getting hurt, it tried shutting off years ago. The tears being cried are captured by angels and being poured back over us in blessings.
Ya’ll this is life.
Talking to a prostitute this morning while I had my Jesus time and being asked if I was Australian made me giggle. Meeting her children and finding out her name is Princess and her daughter is Precious made me smile. Playing basketball with drug dealers and watching their faces light up when I made a layup made me laugh. Meeting my main man, Jerhico, age three and coloring together warmed my heart. Meeting Kit, the murderer, who by the grace of God was released early from prison and is now living his life for Christ humbled me.
We have been here less time than it took to travel here. I’m staring at this mess we’re living in and I love it. The ants, the cat sized rats, the mice and the humidity blesses my Spirit. The fish heads, rice and broth are food for my soul. The toilet that I can’t sit on or flush is taking me to new levels of vulnerability with my team. This is the saddest chaos I’ve ever witnessed. I didn’t know life existed in such horrific conditions and there’s not much I can do to fix it. But there’s one thing I can do. I can love. I think God has been preparing me my whole life for this month. It’s going to change me forever. I’m really glad ya’ll are along for the ride. Much love from the Philippines!
